Not Applicable
When a turkey hunter harvests a wild turkey, the turkey tail is extracted from the carcass by cutting at the base of the tail. The turkey tail is then tacked to a flat surface, in a desired position to dry or cure before mounting. Having a surface to dry a turkey tail is most times cumbersome, often non-reusable, or difficult to store. These surfaces usually consist of, but are not limited to, a sheet of plywood, a door, or a wall. A chemical, typically salt or Clorox powder, is used on the meaty part of the turkey tail to hasten the drying time. The drying period is usually a week or more. After sufficient drying, the turkey tail is taken off the drying surface. The turkey tail will retain the drying position for the life of the tail. The turkey tail can then be mounted on one of many mounting devices/kits on the market and displayed on a wall as a trophy, as presented in Fredeen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,935, and in Acker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,725. Deer horns are mounted on a plaque in a similar fashion as presented in Badger, U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,626.
The present invention is a device used in the drying or curing process of a turkey tail. The invention includes a flat surface (back plate) with a chemical tray, a stabilizing block, a plurality of dowels, a bolt, and a wing nut. The dowels are used to tack the primary tail feathers of the turkey to the back plate. The chemical tray is used to contain excess drying powder or liquid. The bolt and wing nut secure the turkey tail and stabilizing block to the back plate. The present invention is a device that is small in nature, easy to store, reusable, and simple to use. Reference to the present invention is depicted in Leber, Disclosure Document No. 496835.